I was born in Stuttgart, Germany by American parents of Croatian descent. An Army man, my father and family was sent to Ethiopia where I spent much of my pre-high school years. High school was in New Jersey and college in California, where I remain.

By neither education nor profession, have I developed an expertise in “health”. (Does it help that my mother was a nurse?) I hold bachelor and masters degrees in economics, and have worked in the investment banking and software sectors. The health kick has been a sideline, that is often front-and-center.

Since college days, those many, many days ago, I’ve steadfastly delved into health-oriented topics and self-administered experiments, and from this wellhead I explore and write about health as would a journalist write about a subject about which he was not schooled, but steeped.

It was while in graduate school that I had the good fortune of getting pushed into the Pritikin Diet through the urging of a house mate. A group of us actually employed a “natural” (no steroids) bodybuilder to prepare lunch and dinner. (Since that time, I’ve learned that Pritikin overemphasized the no fat thing… healthy fat is a good thing.)

At the same time, another friend who was a State Champion wrestler, wrestled me into the gym. (He also pinned me on the football field, though that’s another story.) Although I had been a basketball player for many years, a part-time weight lifter and even toyed with karate, I had not experienced the level of consistency and intensity that was about to absorb me. Thus began an experimental life journey along a path of — hopefully — optimal health.

But it wasn’t without hiccups. Along the way, I suffered hemorrhaged disks in my spine, a severed Achilles tendon, a cracked pelvis, blunt force trauma to a hip joint, a frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis ) and more.

That’s the physical part. As with most of us, I also grappled with various run-of-the-mill emotional/mental/spiritual crises. All good. As Rumi says: “You must have shadow and light source, both”, or something to that effect. Without the friction, it may be a free slide to unexamined oblivion.

So, I’ve been pressed by the happenstances of life to work some things out, and “health” seems to be one of my life’s common motifs. To the extent that I’ve developed some knowledge about how to lead a healthy, and hopefully, a long and vital life, may I be able to cogently share such with you. And, let this sharing be a two-way street. Use “Comments” at the end of each post or the “Contact” form to share your stories.

A Perspective

A more long-winded byline for this site could be: An Average Joe’s Quest to Attain Health in All Things. This is so because for most of the sentient part of my life I’ve sought to understand the connective tissue between things. Regarding health, my sense is that for it to be truly experienced, it must apply to all aspects of ourselves and to our relationships to everything.

This is because to abide the individuals relationship to self, “health” must consider our physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual dimensions. For the individual’s relationships to one another, or to other things, “health” must consider issues of equilibrium, sustainability and truth. Hence, the topics on this site will be far ranging, but have in common the exploration of holistic and righteous living.

An Accidental Mission

As heat strengthens metals, the adversities of numerous and serious injuries pushed me to grapple with healing. Melting wasn’t an option. My proclivity for whacking myself every decade or so set me on a health march, of which this blog is my bugle.

First up was a basketball accident that caused a few disks in my lower back to herniate. This injury plagued me throughout my twenties. Next was severing my Achilles tendon, again while playing basketball; this in my mid-thirties. (Unbelievably, I still like basketball.) Next up, were two bicycle accidents separated by exactly one year and a day; the first cracking my pelvis and the second impairing the joint in my left hip — an illuminating experience in my forties. And, finally, also worth mentioning was yet another bike accident that, slowly, disabled my right shoulder till an Orthopedic let me know that I had “adhesive capsulitis”, or to the laymen, “frozen shoulder”. (Stupidly, I still like biking.)

These accidents could have compelled me to hug the couch as my primary form of physical effort; instead, that spark first lit in college ignited into an inferno. Each time I was knocked down, I found a way to get up, get stronger and maintain the activities I enjoyed, while along the way getting healthier to boot.

My injuries instigated a lifetime journey of research and experimentation, of meditation (at first for pain control) and yoga (at first to heal and align a bent-up body), and now culminate in a lifestyle devoted to maximizing my potential for a long and vitally healthy life.

As my very own experimental project, I research, try stuff, monitor, measure, adjust and report in this blog. I steadfastly, though at times wobbly, try to walk my talk. I strive to be an example of what a healthy life can be, not in the extremes, per se, but what is reasonably possible. (Of course, that’s a matter of personal interpretation.) I’m a relatively ordinary person who has achieved better than ordinary results.

Life… Make it Looong and Vibrant!

As time unfolds and wants to have its way with me, I resist. Much of what I’m exploring these days is how to beat Daddy Time. Fortunately, a lot of smart scientists are doing the same. There’s much we can do. Just gotta try. Many posts here will be about how to attain a long and vibrant life. Like how ’bout a 100 years old. Why not? Let’s live to 100 with a straight spine and glide in our stride.

Disclaimer

This is important!

I make no claim that what works for me — whether it be a diet, exercise or nutritional supplement — will for you, or even that it’s safe for you to do. I am NOT a doctor or health practitioner, nor do I have any formal training in anything to do with health matters.

Whatever you contemplate doing that could affect your health, you should review with your health practitioner. Nuff said!

Privacy Policy

These can read like a legal contract. Mine is simple. Should you submit your name and email for anything it will not be sold, rented or shared with anyone, unless you “opt-in” to an offer for information, products or services offered by someone other than me, which at the time of this writing is not contemplated. Should you wish to buy something on this site that is fulfilled by someone other than me, which at the time of this writing is the only thing contemplated, you’ll be directed to the product provider who fulfills the order, and the disposition of any information or policies furnished there will be under that provider’s privacy policy and control.